Billed as a ‘vertical pier’ containing a single viewing pod that can hold up to 200 people, the developers say that their vision follows “in the spirit of the original pier, inviting visitors to ‘walk on air’ and gain a new perspective of the city, just as they ‘walked on water’ in the past and viewed the city from the sea.”

At 175 metres high, and with an observation pod rising to 141 metres (450 feet), the i360 will be Britain’s highest observation tower outside London, sporting a shop and hospitality suite and a cafe/restaurant catering for up to 400 people built at the base.

There will also be a ‘Sky Bar‘ in the pod in the evenings (illustrated above).